The U.S. is seeing even more signs that the Omicron-fueled Covid surge is starting to recede. Cases are now down over the past two weeks in 17 states. While cases were doubling in almost every state only two weeks ago, the number of states that have seen daily infections double over the past 14 days is now all the way down to eight.
Omicron cresting and falling in January was expected by many experts after reviewing trends from the UK, South Africa, and other country that were struck by the variant before it caused its first surges in the U.S.
States that were hit early by the variant are now showing sharp drops in cases as the variant begins to burnout stateside as well. New York, for example, was the first state to deal with Omicron in a large capacity when New York City emerged as a hotspot for the variant in December.
Cases in the Empire State have now dropped by 66 percent over the past 14 days – though – with 131 of every 100,000 residents recording an infection daily.
Neighboring New Jersey is experiencing the largest case decline in America. The Garden state has experienced a 67 percent case decrease over the past two weeks, down to 118 of every 100,000 residents testing positive every day.
Both states were largely impacted by New York City at the start of the Omicron surge. Like London across the pond, the dense city erupted with cases once the variant arrived, but then the surge quickly tapered off as the variant burned out.
The states are now even among those with the lowest infection rates in America, showing how quickly their fortunes changed.
New Jersey is averaging 118 cases per 100,000 residents every day – the third lowest in the U.S. – with New York coming in fifth with 131 of every 100,000 residents recording an infection every day.
Maryland was an early hotspot as well, though cases in the state are now declining by a large margin as well.
Daily infections have dropped 62 percent over the past two weeks, and the 85 daily infections per every 100,000 residents is the second lowest rate in America.
All across the east coast, cases are either declining, or growing at a much slower rate than last week. From Maine (recording a nine percent decrease over the past two weeks) to Florida (36 percent), the Omicron variant is starting to recede.
New cases are also falling in Vermont (one percent), Massachusetts (21 percent), Rhode Island (18 percent), Connecticut (39 percent), Virginia (two percent) and Georgia (12 percent).
Cases in South Carolina are still on an upward trajectory, but the once hard-struck state is seeing things start to level off. The Palmetto state was recording a case increases of over 500 percent last week.
That figure has steadily declined, though, all the way down to 54 percent over the past two weeks.
North Carolina has proved to be outlier along the coast, with cases up 83 percent over the past two weeks.
Only two states east of the Mississippi rivers have recorded an increase of cases of more than 60 percent over the past two months, North Carolina and Wisconsin (127 percent).
A wide gap has opened between western and eastern states in the U.S. Eight states are recording case growth of more than 100 percent over the past two weeks, including the squarely Midwest Wisconsin and seven other states west of the Mississippi: Minnesota (114 percent), Oklahoma (196 percent), New Mexico (134 percent), Wyoming (141 percent), Montana (114 percent) and Idaho (174 percent).
Wisconsin is also the nationwide leader in Covid infection rate, with 365 of every 100,000 residents testing positive daily. Rhode Island, the longtime leader in this category, is second with 337 of every 100,000 residents testing positive daily.
Only five other states have recorded more than 300 cases per 100,000 residents, with four being out west, Utah (337), Alaska (325), Hawaii (322) and Oklahoma (306).
Along with Rhode Island, South Carolina is among the leaders as well (312), as some eastern states linger a top the list slowly being overtaken by the fast risers out west.
Ohio is the new leader in Covid mortality rate. The state, where cases are down ten percent, is recording 1.3 deaths per every 100,000 residents every day.
Ten states are recording more than one death per 100,000 residents every day, including Alaska (1.29), New York (1.17), Connecticut (1.15), Tennessee (1.14), Michigan (1.13), Indiana (1.11), Maryland (1.08), New Jersey (1.08), Illinois (1.03), Pennsylvania (1.03).
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